


Two Can Play At This Winter Game

by RagingBookDragon



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, Declarations Of Love, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:01:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27985848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RagingBookDragon/pseuds/RagingBookDragon
Summary: In reality, she couldn’t play that well, having to wrestle with herself each night to not go climb into Connor’s bed, ultimately into his arms. So far, she’d managed to reason away every offer to spend the night with him: her back hurt, she had a headache, she felt like she was coming down with a cold, it was too hot at night (that one wasn’t true in the slightest—it was freezing at night), she had mission reports to go over, she had mission reports to fill out, she had mission reports to—she had a lot of excuses, but she was running out quickly.
Relationships: Ratonhnhaké:ton | Connor & Reader, Ratonhnhaké:ton | Connor/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Two Can Play At This Winter Game

**Author's Note:**

> Day 9 of the Christmas Fics! Enjoy! -Thorne

He wasn’t outright avoiding her, she decided, but something was certainly up with Connor. Never was he one to make excuses in order to get away, however he seemed to pull them out of thin air whenever she caught up to him.

This time he’d made the excuse that Ollie needed his help with carrying another whiskey barrel. She frowned at his back as he headed to the inn, her arms crossed over her chest. _Alright, he’s hiding something. And I’m gonna get to the bottom of it._ Turning on her heel, she walked into the manor, finding Achilles at the head of the table, pouring over one of his journals.

“Achilles,” she said. “A word.”

The old man snorted, not even looking over at her. He turned a page. “You’re a little young to make demands of me, _young lady_.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not a demand. Just a question.”

“Just a question, she says.” His eyes met hers. “Something tells me it’s going to be _more_ than a simple question.” He gestured to the chair beside him. “Sit, (Y/N).”

Doing so, she got comfortable, but went silent as soon as she sat down.

“What?” he huffed. “Afraid to ask now?”

(Y/N) let out a pfft. “No, I’m just thinking about how to phrase the question.” Her eyes drifted to him. “Do you know if Ratonhnhaké:ton is hiding something?”

Achilles lowered his eyes to his journal, fingers following down the page. “ _Other than everything he hides about himself_?”

She nodded, and though he wasn’t looking at her, he knew her answer.

“What makes you think he’s hiding something from you?” his question was curious but held a deeper level of suspicion for his student.

Her heart warmed at how high a regard Achilles kept Connor in.

“Well for starters, he’s been avoiding me.”

“He avoids _everyone_ unless he _can’t_.” he countered.

“True, but he’s really avoiding me. I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong, but he wont talk to me, so I can’t tell.”

Achilles cocked a salt and pepper brow. “Have you tried?”

(Y/N) couldn’t help the scowl that came across her features. “Of course, I’ve tried,” she insisted. “But every time I show up, he gives me some—” her hands waved wildly, as if they would speak her frustration. “excuse about what he has to go do.”

She shut her eyes and leaned back in the chair. “I don’t think he’s mad at me, but…” her hand massaged her temples and she sighed heavily. “ _Hell, I don’t know what’s wrong with him_.”

A silence fell between them, and at first, she figured the old man was thinking it over when he laughed.

Her eyes snapped open and she stared slack jawed at Achilles as he leaned back, one hand over his stomach, the other over his eyes, unbridled laughter filling the dining room.

It made her face warm. “Hey, what’s the big idea?” she prodded. “Why are you laughing at me?”

Achilles wiped a stray tear away. “Oh, it seems to me that you two are having your _first fight_.”

(Y/N) scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Please. This _isn’t_ a fight.”

“Is it not?”

She glared at him. “Usually, a fight is an instigation that one party makes, and the other party is aware of it. Thus, resulting in the ensuing fight or argument.” She uncurled one of her arms and propped it on the arm of the chair, resting her chin on her palm. “This isn’t a fight, it’s the beginning to—”

(Y/N) narrowed her gaze and hissed, “ _I hate it when you do that_ , _Achilles_.”

He offered her a coy smile. “I don’t know _what_ you’re talking about, (Y/N).”

With a sharp snap, he shut the journal and rose from his seat, grabbing his cane. “I’m going to take a nap.”

She glowered at his back as he left, then turned her gaze to the window, watching a few cardinals fly by the glass panes. After a moment, she stood.

“Alright then. If this is our first fight, then two can play at this game.

*******

In reality, she couldn’t play that well, having to wrestle with herself each night to not go climb into Connor’s bed, ultimately into his arms. So far, she’d managed to reason away every offer to spend the night with him: her back hurt, she had a headache, she felt like she was coming down with a cold, it was too hot at night (that one wasn’t true in the slightest—it was _freezing_ at night), she had mission reports to go over, she had mission reports to fill out, she had mission reports to— _she had a lot of excuses, but she was running out quickly._

She sat in the corner of her bedroom beside her robe stand, quietly going over a few reports from when Achilles had been the mentor of the Colonial Brotherhood a decade and a half ago. The name _Cormac_ kept coming up and (Y/N) went between Templar and Assassin records spread around her like a madwoman, trying to find out more. _So, Shay was an Assassin turned Templar. He was the reason the Brotherhood fell so far. What happened to him that made him—_

A knock sounded at the door and she glanced over her shoulder, seeing Connor standing there, a look of apprehension on his face.

She turned back to the reports. “Come in.”

He took a few steps into the room, crossing over to her in two. She eyed his leather boots but didn’t look up at him.

“What are you working on?” he asked quietly, almost as if he raised his voice, she’d flee.

(Y/N) sighed, tossing a book over to her bed. “Not much, if I’m honest. A few reports from the Brotherhood a few years ago.” Her eyes drifted back to the report open in her lap. “What are you doing here?”

Connor went silent, then murmured, “You are upset with me.”

She paused, then gazed up at him. “Do you want me to be honest with you?”

He nodded.

A sigh passed her lips. “I’m disappointed that it’s taken you this long to engage me.” Her eyes narrowed sadly. “ _My attitude towards you has been a result of your attitude towards me_.”

(Y/N) nodded at the floor. “Sit.”

He beside her with his legs crossed, watching as she turned to face him.

“You’ve been avoiding me for a while, and every time I tried to discover why, you just up and left. So…I did the same.” She tried to take the attention off her by rubbing her thumb over her knuckles and sighed. “I guess it was a bit childish to do in the end.”

Connor frowned, feeling a heavy weight on his chest. “I apologize for my actions.”

(Y/N) stared at him. “I appreciate the apology Ratonhnhaké:ton, but I don’t want it.” His brows furrowed and she added, “I want to know _why_. I want to know if it was something _I_ did. Was it? If I hurt your feelings in some way, it was never my—”

He cut her off by reaching behind him, pulling a red cloth out. It was tied neatly with twine, but the look on his face didn’t tell her that it was a gift.

“What…is _that_?” she asked, and Connor undid the tie with one hand, then pulled away the corners of the cloth to reveal shards of glass.

It didn’t take her but a few seconds to realize it was one of the Christmas ornaments they’d hung on the tree a week earlier, an old family bauble passed down to her.

She felt shock rise in her. “Ratonhnhaké:ton what happ—”

He lowered his head, voice full of shame as he lamented, “I was moving some of the ornaments so they would not fall, but it accidently slipped out of my fingers.” He shook his head. “I could not catch it in time.”

Connor gazed at her. “I know it was important to you…I am sorry.”

Suddenly, (Y/N) felt like a complete fool for her actions. She smiled sadly at him. “Ratonhnhaké:ton, why were you so afraid to tell me?”

He averted his gaze. “Your mother gave it to you. And you looked so _happy_ when you hung it on the tree.” He started to clam up on her, red streaking on his cheeks as he whispered, “I was…afraid you would be… _furious_ with me.”

She gently took the cloth from him, his amber eyes watching her closely for any perceived sign of rage. (Y/N) folded the cloth and set it beside her, to his surprise, and looked back at him.

She shrugged and gave him a smile. “It’s just an ornament, Ratonhnhaké:ton. I can glue it back together.”

His dark brows furrowed, like he couldn’t comprehend her reaction. “But it was from—”

“ _From my mother_ ,” she said, nodding her head. “ _Yeah, it was_. As were _most_ of the ornaments on the tree.” (Y/N) smiled. “Breaking ornaments happens. It’s not something to feel terrified over.”

She looked back at the red cloth. “I guess I should apologize to you as well.”

“For what?” he worried. “You did not do anything.”

(Y/N) glanced at him and explained, “ _No, but I obviously made you feel like you couldn’t come to me about this_.” She reached out and took his hands, raising them to her lips. She placed kisses along his knuckles, murmuring, “ _I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t tell me, Ratonhnhaké:ton_.”

This time, the flush was evident across his cheeks and he stuttered out a reply. “It is—it is okay.”

“ _Please don’t ever feel like you can’t come to me when something is wrong, okay_?”

He nodded mutely, afraid that if he opened his mouth, he’d say something foolish.

Her eyes drifted over the cloth. “Well, I guess I should go collect some sap to fix that with, unless…” she met his eyes. “You’re tired and would like to hit the hay?”

For a moment, his face pinched, then he understood. “Oh, _sleep_. Yes, I am rather tired.”

(Y/N) snorted. “ _Yeah, I bet telling your lover you broke a familial ornament is nerve-racking enough to tire you out_.”

Connor glared at her as he helped her to her feet. “You are going to _tease_ me about this for a while are you not?”

She winked at him. “ _Oh, every Christmas, no doubt_.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I guess this is to be expected.”

Nudging his side, she quipped, “You can make it up to me by picking one out with me in town later next week.”

“You want me to go?”

“Of course.” She said. “ _If we pick one out together, it’ll be special to us both_.”

Connor smiled. “That…sounds like a good idea.”

(Y/N) snorted. “Well yeah, it came from _me_.”

He rolled his eyes at her, starting to remove his robes. She, being in her nightclothes already, simply crawled into the bed, waiting for him.

When he slipped into the bed, (Y/N) immediately snuggled into his arms, resting her head on his chest; his arms curled around her tight, holding her as if she would disappear.

For a few moments, neither of them said a thing, merely enjoying the silence, then he murmured, “It is good to have you in my arms again.”

“ _Yeah_?” she replied, her fingers dancing across his chest.

“Yes.” His lips pressed against the crown of her head. “I did not— _I do not_ sleep well when you are not beside me.”

(Y/N) swallowed thickly, feeling a warmth spread across her cheeks as she whispered, “Neither do _I_ …the bed is too cold and lonely.”

Connor chuckled, his chest rumbling under her ear. “I guess we have both learned a lesson.”

She smiled and looked up at him. “I guess we have.” She pressed a kiss to his skin. “I love you, Ratonhnhaké:ton.”

He leaned down, pressing his lips to her forehead. “ _And I you_.”


End file.
